Updated April 2026 · 14 min read · Used by 1,000+ employers globally including Goldman Sachs, Shell, Unilever, Deutsche Bank
| Company | HireVue, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | South Jordan, Utah, USA |
| Products | Video Interview (pre-recorded + live) · Game-Based Assessments · Coding Assessments · AI-Powered Scoring |
| Major clients | Goldman Sachs, Shell, Unilever, Deutsche Bank, Barclays, IBM, Nike, Delta Air Lines |
| AI scoring | Analyses speech patterns, facial expressions, word choice, and answer structure |
HireVue is the world's leading video interview and digital assessment platform, used by over 1,000 global employers to screen millions of candidates per year. If you've received an invitation to a "video interview" or "digital interview" from a major employer, there's a very high probability it's HireVue. The platform combines pre-recorded video interviews with AI-powered scoring and — for many employers — game-based cognitive assessments embedded directly into the same session.
The standard HireVue pre-recorded interview works as follows: you log in to the HireVue portal from any device (laptop or phone), read the question on screen, and record your response using your webcam. You typically have:
HireVue's AI scoring evaluates multiple dimensions of your video responses:
| Dimension | How it's measured | Preparation tip |
|---|---|---|
| Word choice and language | NLP analysis of vocabulary, industry terms, response structure | Use specific, precise language. Avoid filler words (um, like, basically). |
| Speech fluency | Pause frequency, speech rate, disfluencies | Practise aloud until responses flow naturally. Record yourself and review. |
| Answer structure | STAR format recognition, completeness of response | Always complete the Result/Impact portion of your answer — many candidates trail off after Action. |
| Facial expressions (deprecated in some markets) | Emotion detection — positive engagement signals | Maintain eye contact with the camera, not the screen. Smile naturally when appropriate. |
| Energy and engagement | Voice modulation, enthusiasm detection | Vary your tone. Monotone delivery scores lower than expressive, energetic delivery. |
Note: HireVue announced reduced use of facial expression analysis in several markets following regulatory scrutiny. However, the NLP, speech, and structure components remain active across all markets.
For employers who add the cognitive component, HireVue delivers 4–6 game-based assessments embedded in the same session as the video interview. The most common games:
| Game | Tests | Difficulty level |
|---|---|---|
| Flashback (N-Back) | Working memory, sustained attention | High — most candidates find this hardest |
| Digit Span | Verbal working memory | Medium |
| PortraitXT / PuzzlePicture | Visual memory, pattern recognition | Medium |
| Arrows | Attention and inhibitory control | Medium-high |
| Card Deck (Iowa variant) | Learning from feedback, adaptability | Medium |
The game scores are combined with video interview scores using the employer's specific weighting model. For some employers (e.g. Goldman Sachs), the cognitive game scores carry more weight than the video content. For others (e.g. Barclays), the video content dominates. You will not be told the weighting.
Goldman Sachs: HireVue with heavy emphasis on cognitive games. 3 video questions + game battery. Numerical data interpretation games may be included for front-office roles.
Shell: HireVue VJT + ODVI combined. Games (Flashback, Digit Span, PuzzlePicture) + 3 video questions.
Barclays: HireVue pre-recorded video interview, 3–4 questions. RISES values alignment assessed via speech analysis.
Unilever (UK): HireVue game-based assessment + digital video interview as two separate steps in the UFLP process.
Deutsche Bank: HireVue pre-recorded video + cognitive assessment for some divisions.
Technical setup: Use Chrome or Safari. Test your camera and microphone before starting. Use a wired internet connection if possible. Film in a clean, well-lit environment — natural light is best. Look directly at the camera lens, not at your own face on screen. Dress as you would for an in-person interview.
Content preparation: Prepare 6–8 STAR stories before your interview. Each story should cover at least 3 different competencies depending on how you frame it. Practise delivering each story in under 2 minutes without notes. Common question themes: leadership, teamwork, resilience, commercial awareness, problem-solving, "why us?"
Since the platform's answer-structure scoring specifically rewards complete STAR responses, seeing what a genuinely complete one looks like end to end helps more than a general reminder of the acronym.
Q. "Tell me about a time you had to resolve a disagreement within a team."
Situation (15-20s): "During a group project in my final year, two teammates disagreed sharply on which data source to use for our analysis, and the disagreement was starting to stall our progress with a deadline approaching."
Task (10-15s): "As the person coordinating the project timeline, I needed to resolve this quickly without alienating either teammate, since we still had several days of work ahead that required both of them."
Action (40-50s): "I set up a short call with just the two of them and myself, asked each to explain their reasoning for their preferred source, and we identified that one source was more current but less detailed, while the other was more detailed but slightly dated. Rather than picking one, I proposed we use the current source for our headline figures and the detailed one for supporting context, which addressed both of their underlying concerns."
Result (15-20s): "Both teammates agreed to the approach, we finished the analysis two days ahead of the deadline, and the professor specifically highlighted our data methodology as a strength in feedback. It taught me that most disagreements have a workable middle path once you understand what each side actually cares about."
Note the explicit Result at the end — this is exactly the component the platform's scoring specifically checks for, and it's also the piece most candidates rush or skip entirely when they're running close to the time limit, which is precisely why practising each story's timing in advance matters as much as the content itself.
While pre-recorded, on-demand interviews are HireVue's most common format, some employers use HireVue's live video interview product instead — a real-time video call with a human interviewer, using HireVue's platform for scheduling and recording rather than for AI-driven asynchronous questions. The preparation overlaps significantly (STAR structure, technical setup, camera presence) but a live interview allows follow-up questions and genuine back-and-forth conversation in a way a pre-recorded response never can, which changes the dynamic meaningfully — you can ask clarifying questions if a prompt is ambiguous, and an interviewer can probe deeper into an interesting point you raise. If your invitation doesn't specify which format you're facing, checking for language like "scheduled interview" or a specific interviewer's name (live) versus "complete by this deadline" with no named interviewer (pre-recorded, on-demand) is usually the clearest signal.
This depends entirely on the employer's specific configuration rather than a platform-wide rule — some employers allow one re-record per question if you're unhappy with your first take, visible as a "redo" option directly in the recording interface, while others lock in your first attempt with no retake option at all. Check your specific invitation email and the on-screen instructions before you begin recording, since assuming a retake is available when it isn't means your actual first take is the one that counts, with no opportunity to improve on a rocky start. If a genuine technical failure occurs mid-recording (a connectivity drop, a browser crash) rather than simply an unsatisfactory answer, most employers do have a support process for requesting a technical retake — documenting the issue and contacting the recruiter or HireVue support promptly is the right move rather than assuming you're simply out of luck.
HireVue is a video-interview platform. Candidates are shown a question on screen, given 30 seconds to think, then up to 3 minutes to record a video answer. Answers are scored by AI (speech-to-text transcription + NLP + facial-analysis heuristics) and increasingly by human reviewers for senior roles.
Example prompt:
"Describe a time you had to persuade a team to adopt an approach they initially disagreed with. What did you do, and what was the outcome?"
Use the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result) and hit all four beats. Speak clearly, make eye contact with the camera, keep to 90–120 seconds.
HireVue allows up to 3 minutes per answer but the sweet spot is 90–120 seconds. Too short suggests unpreparedness; too long suggests poor editing and loses AI-scoring keyword density.
Structure inside 90 seconds:
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